Secret Service guides schools on assessing student threat

The U.S. Secret Service is offering help for schools struggling with how to recognize students who might attack the school.

The federal agency published guidance Thursday in response to the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that killed 17 people in February. The report focuses not just on identifying troubled students, but how to assess their risk for becoming violent.

School districts are encouraged to establish teams to handle reports of concerning situations and assess the threat. The teams would intervene based on things like a student’s online posts, access to weapons and emotional upheavals like a breakup.

Secret Service Director Randolph Alles says the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting served as the impetus for going beyond the agency’s past work on school violence.